Elliot Worcel
Two things are known: Shakur Stevenson is a great fighter but also a frustrating one, so I won't enjoy him until I get used to him, and I won't enjoy my days with his current promoter, Top Rank, until I get used to them.
In boxing, winning, and winning all the time, is often not enough. For promoters at least, it is how a boxer wins that matters most, not just that he wins. And for the fans, who ultimately determine a promoter's preferences, it is essential that a boxer be more than just an ability to win, no matter what the entertainment cost.
As for Stevenson, the 27-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, promoters and fans alike have long hoped he would provide entertainment as well as perfection — two things that rarely coexist in a sport like boxing — but that doesn't seem to be what his audiences and sponsors want.
That's why he'll be expected not only to beat Artyom Harutyunyan again this Saturday (July 6), but to do so in a way that will satisfy critics of the way he's won previous bouts: easily, dominantly and (seemingly) with little effort.
Shakur Stevenson puts on a spectacular display on his way to defeating Edwin de los Santos in Las Vegas (Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)
Of course, it is Stevenson's right how he wins his fights. If he keeps winning, he will defend his WBC lightweight title, keep making money, and put himself in a position to fight fighters who can take him to the next level in terms of status and market value. This happened with Floyd Mayweather long before Stevenson came along. Mayweather was another controversial fighter who didn't win fights “the right way.” In fact, for Mayweather, Really What propelled him from “Pretty Boy” to “Money” was the influence of his opponents, Arturo Gatti and Oscar De La Hoya, who were the ideal foils for a boxer whose goal was always to win rather than entertain.
Something similar could happen in the future for Stevenson, 21-0 (10). After all, he's surrounded by big names like Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. Any one of those three could work as Stevenson's partner, and the threat they pose could be enough to bring out the best in Stevenson and prove to people he's a champion worth investing in.
For now, it seems like no one has made a decision on that front. Even his promoters, Top Rank, are unsure about whether to keep Stevenson under contract beyond his next fight, which is the last one under his current contract. If he doesn't sign a contract, Stevenson will obviously become a free agent, at which point a ton of fighters will sign contracts and have a chance to find their footing elsewhere.
At this point, this also seems the most likely scenario — in fact, Stevenson has already claimed that Top Rank told him to “see the market” before returning, meaning potential suitors have the same concerns about Stevenson's box office potential as Top Rank.
This may be true, but whether it is true or not, Stevenson’s relationship with Top Rank is clearly fractured and ruined. Ever since Top Rank offered George Kambosos a title fight against Vasiliy Lomachenko (for which Stevenson once campaigned vigorously), Stevenson has felt slighted, overlooked and unappreciated by Top Rank. He would acknowledge by now that there is nothing he can do about this particular situation, but at the same time, he would know that he is entirely responsible and in control of his reputation and his appeal in the eyes of his fans. That’s why fights like his upcoming one against Artyom Harutyunyan are so important, both in terms of the present (defending his title) and the future (gaining favorable opportunities). Beating Harutyunyan on Saturday night is certainly important, but it’s not enough. It’s not enough because of the nature of this fight (no one wants it) and it’s not enough because Shakur Stevenson is performing in a store window more than ever before, begging passersby to stand still while he figures out exactly what it is he’s selling.
